CH 37

It was morning and Toma was still sleeping. At the Reijo Nursing University, there was some commotion over a certain matter.

“What? Mio-chan is off today? No way!”

“It’s rare for Mio-san to be absent or late, she’s been perfect until now…”

“There must be something serious going on with her…”

After hearing from the teacher about today’s absentees, Mio’s best friend Nanami shared her current feelings with her classmates.

“Mio-chan lives alone, so I’m worried if she has a cold…”

“Should we send her a message? If it’s a cold, we could go visit her when we have some free time, right?”

“Yeah! Something easy to eat would be good, like jelly!”

It’s no wonder that Mio is so popular with her classmates, she truly lives up to her nickname of “Nursing’s Angel”

“Oh, there’s something I wanted to mention. If Mio-chan is sick, I want to entrust someone to visit her for me.”

“Someone? Do you mean someone Mio-san knows?”

“Well, it’s a good friend of mine to the point where I can’t win against.”

Nanami imagined the man she was with at the bar and chuckled with a wry smile.

“If Nanami-chan, you say so, I understand.”

“Then, can I entrust my mail to Nanami-chan too?”

“Sure thing. Thanks!”

Nanami showed her usual cheerful demeanor, exchanged salutes with her classmates, and headed to a corner of the classroom.

(Although I haven’t told Mio-chan, I have no regrets at all. So please do your best for me too.)

Nanami opened her smartphone and displayed Mio’s contact information. With her fingers flicking at high speed, she typed in LAIN. Her face looked somewhat bright and cheerful.

***

I contacted Reijou Nursing University, where I am currently studying. I called them to say, “Please excuse me from classes today.”

I am a third-year student at Reijou Nursing University and I have not been late or absent for the entire period.

The reason I missed class was not because of my physical health or family circumstances… It was for my own personal reasons.

“Ugh, why did I… why did I do something like that?” I groaned while lying on my back in bed, with my hair tied up in a bun and wearing a sky blue shorts and a long-sleeved pajama top of the same color.

Living alone and not being seen by anyone, I flail my legs and let my emotions explode. I bury my face in my pillow and unconsciously moan, “Ugh…”

(If only there was a hole I could crawl into… I can’t take this anymore…)

I cover my whole body with a thin blanket and completely shut out the outside world. I fold my knees and hold them with both hands like a pill bug, and ponder inside my blanket.

(What kind of face should I make when I see Toma-kun next time…?)

If it were me under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have made such a bold move. But in my slightly tipsy state, and with Toma-kun being even more drunk, I couldn’t control myself…

(I can still feel the touch of Toma-kun’s hand…)

I didn’t wash my hands when I returned home late at night. I know it’s not hygienic, but I didn’t want to overwrite the feeling until after my next meal.

(I know how much courage it takes to hold hands with Toma-kun, especially for someone like me who has no experience in love. It’s not an easy thing to do, so I really wanted to treasure it.)

“Haa… There’s no way I can go to university in this state…”

I slowly lifted the covers and looked at myself in the mirror that was placed in the storage on my bed.

…

My cheeks were as red as if I had a fever, and even my ears were the same color. Not only that, my face would immediately relax and become soft… This was not something I could show my family.

“I’ve never had a fever that wouldn’t go down for hours… This is ridiculous…”

Today was a day off, which could be called a day of slacking off. I thought that by the time I went to university, my face would have returned to normal and the redness would be gone. But that expectation was far off, and I realized that my symptoms wouldn’t disappear all day…

(…This is all Toma-kun’s fault. Because he gets so drunk… And says such happy things…)

“To be honest, I think about 50% of me want to support confession… “

“It’s hard to put this feeling into words, but to put it simply, I just didn’t like the idea.”

“I really enjoy talking with you like this, Mio-san. If possible, I don’t want to lose this time we spend together.”

Toma-kun answered seriously. His words were probably due to the power of alcohol. The contents of his words were undoubtedly about seeing me as a member of the opposite s*x…

So I said something like that too…

“I’m happy if there are rumors that you are my boyfriend, Toma-kun.”

I entwined my fingers with Toma-kun’s and revealed that I loved him so much, that it wouldn’t be strange if it became apparent.

“Maybe I should just go to sleep forever like this…”

I made such a sensitive remark out of embarrassment. And just then…

“Huh!?”

My phone rang with a notification sound that seemed deliberately timed to startle me.

“Don’t scare me like that…”

I grumbled to myself and checked the screen of my phone. It was a LINE message from my best friend Nanami.

“Nanami…”

“Are you okay, Mio-chan? Did you catch a cold?”

“Thanks for your concern, Nanami. But it’s just a slight fever, so I’m fine.”

I couldn’t tell her that I skipped university just because I was feeling shy and giddy. So I ended up lying in my reply.

“Really?”

“Yes, I just wanted to be cautious today.”

“Well, that’s good to hear! Take it easy today and I’ll bring you a get-well present! :)”

“I don’t need a get-well present…I’m really okay.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. Anyway, I have class soon, so bye-bye!”